


Just Like a Dream (1 sentence, 50 prompts challenge)

by bunnyangelo



Category: Usagi Yojimbo
Genre: 1 Sentence Fiction, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Relationship(s), Taboo Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 14:48:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3613899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnyangelo/pseuds/bunnyangelo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As their friendship progresses into something more, Tomoe begins to question the lines of samurai honor and her lust for the man she can only love in secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Like a Dream (1 sentence, 50 prompts challenge)

#01 - Air  
The chill of the autumn air makes Tomoe shiver as she sits upon her mount, waiting, until the sight of the long eared ronin trudging through the falling ginkgo leaves brings familiar, comforting warmth within her.

#02 - Apples  
Apples always tasted best when eating with friends, and it was the best moment that Usagi could enjoy as he sat alongside Tomoe Ame underneath the shady tree, joking, laughing and living life to its fullest, for they both knew that a samurai’s life could be cut short so soon.

#03 - Beginning  
Usagi can remember the beginning of their friendship, the first time they met on that fateful day when he stayed the night at that old abandoned temple when the lady samurai and the young panda lord accidently intruded on him as he was trying to get some sleep.

#04 – Bugs  
“Ugh!!” groans Usagi in disgust as Tomoe drops a giant earthworm onto his face, his reaction making her roll on the grass into gales of laughter as he dances and leaps around, brushing himself off in case there where anymore bugs crawling about on him. 

#05 - Coffee  
After nearly retching at the taste of this unusual new drink, Tomoe complains to Usagi “I don’t understand how there foreigners can tolerate this filth…how can you even…” – she trails off into disgusted silence as her friend downs another cup, strong bitterness and all.

#06 - Dark  
A soft moan leaves her lips as she “feels” rough velvet fingertips tracing the hollow of her throat; she knew it could have been a dream, but she was in the dark with the man she wanted; it was nothing but a bittersweet reality.

#07 - Despair  
She’d often awake from her haunted dreams shivering in the cold soundless nights, tears rolling down her face as she sat, wishing for a gentle touch and comforting words.

#08 - Doors  
Using an excuse to stretch his legs, Usagi slowly strolls down the hall, passing by Lady Tomoe’s quarters just to see the shadowy outline of her through the shoji doors moving about slowly, almost a dancing silhouette.

#09 - Drink  
Tomoe giggles a little too loudly as Gennosuke tells her about the time when he and Usagi dressed in drag to go undercover in a geisha house; Usagi grins and shakes his head at the sight of her flushed cheeks and intoxicated glint in her eyes from the five bottles of sake Gen ordered for them.

#10 – Duty  
As it was once Usagi’s duty to protect his late master Lord Mifune, it was Tomoe’s to protect the child lord Noriyuki from the wicked Lord Hikiji, who’d recently sent his Neko Ninja to “take care” of him last night, but failed when Usagi foiled their plans, as usual. 

#11 - Earth  
The scent of earth on him awoke a dormant desire in her when she leaned against Usagi, his arm awkwardly wrapped around her shoulders as they watched the dying sun descend into the marmalade horizon.

#12 - End  
“Usagi…should your wanderings come to an end, what will become of you if you do not wish to serve under another lord?” Tomoe asks as the glow of the sun dies against them; the ronin is not yet familiar with this question, he can only answer with a sort uncertain murmur, Lord Mifune on his mind.

#13 - Fall  
He liked the way her long black hair fell down her back and around her shoulders when she released it from her topknot.

#14 - Fire  
Tomoe reminded Usagi of fire, beautiful and dangerous – the dangerous part being her emotions like lethal flames she could barely control.

#15 – Flexible  
Yagi no eda and aoyagi, meaning willow branch and young willow – that held the name of Usagi’s swords, and just like them he was never unyielding, a willow branch in the wind. 

#16 - Flying  
She wondered what it was like to have wings like the hunting falcon perched onto her arm – flying around the countryside forever free of all worries and cares – until the ronin can bring her out of her fantasy when he says, “It’s getting late, Tomoe…we should head back to the castle.”

#17 - Food  
The taste of freshly sliced pickles and cooked rice tinged her tastebuds, and the aroma of steamed fish and yams gave her a comforting feel – “This is such a nice restaurant, the food here is much better than at the palace” she whispers, and her friend smiles at her across the table, a cup of tea steaming in his hands -- she secretly wishes that Usagi would take her out to dinner more often.

#18 – Foot  
“This water feels like ice,” she says, dipping her toes into the lake; “the longer you wait, the worse it gets,” Usagi replies causally before he pulls her with him into the water. 

#19 - Grave  
Usagi noticed that grave look on her face when she marched angrily past him, he could instantly tell that Noriyuki’s other advisor, Lord Horikawa, made her upset again, and the only thing left to do was to cheer her up with a dirty joke or two.

#20 - Green  
Usagi grins as Tomoe embraces the blue-masked ninja turtle with a small peck on the cheek, her rouge leaving a red mark on the green of Leonardo’s exterior.

#21 - Head  
For someone so aloof and uptight, Tomoe was surprisingly mischievous; Usagi takes note at this as she places a crown of daisies onto his head to match the ones on hers, “Look, I made one for you too.”

#22 - Hollow  
She almost feels empty without him, even when he’s there right by her side, something still doesn’t complete her.

#23 - Honor  
Honor was something they both had in common, no problem – but it could tear them apart as well.

#24 - Hope  
The glow of the lanterns are cast on the childlike hope in Usagi’s eyes as he grabs Tomoe’s hands and pulls her towards the thrive of Tanabata, the star festival, that was happening just outside the Geishu Palace.

#25 - Light  
Shivers rake down throughout her body as Usagi approaches her, his translucent white fur makes him looks so frail and ghostly in the light of the full moon, he’s almost frightening, but he’s so beautiful she can’t take her eyes off of him.

#26 - Lost  
Gen grins sheepishly at the dangerous looks on Tomoe and Usagi’s faces, the long-eared samurai exclaiming “We wouldn’t be lost if you had stopped and asked for directions, no thanks to you and your damn shortcuts!”

#27 - Metal  
The feel of sharp metal cutting against his skin doesn’t faze him at all – it almost feels rather nice, he tells her, but Tomoe only shakes her head in disbelief and continues to treat his wound.

#28 - New  
Tomoe isn’t one to be making a big deal out of her birthday, but the new porcelain teacup Usagi has given her makes her heart melt – she couldn’t remember anyone being this thoughtful, nonetheless know her favorite flower, the camellia which was hand-painted beautifully onto the ceramic exterior.

#29 - Old  
Every scar, fresh and old on his pelt tells a story from battles before, Tomoe can almost see these battles as she watches him sleep in the sun, his scarred chest rising and falling as he breathes.

#30 – Peace  
Tomoe broke out of her thoughts to see her friend tensed, his hand clenched tightly around his daito handle and his eyes alert, then she too could suddenly feel the presence of shadow warriors among the trees above; so much for a peaceful night for a campfire.

#31 - Poison  
Usagi sighed with relief at the cool feeling of her hand placed gently on his sweaty forehead, his eyes opening slightly to see tears streaking down her beautiful face her lips uttering, “Thank the gods that poison arrow didn’t pierce your heart” although now, he was entirely sure it did.

#32 – Pretty  
Gennosuke had always blatantly pointed out how lovely Tomoe Ame was, but Usagi thought of her something entirely different as they strolled through the garden together, noticing how full her lips were, her rosy cheeks, her enchanting smile and her long dark eyelashes that fluttered delicately when she blinked.

#33 - Rain  
The sounds of rain hitting the roof was a soothing melody for her as she awoke, only to find herself in the rabbit’s arms, limbs so tight around her that she couldn’t breathe; but she prayed that they could keep this moment eternally.

#34 - Regret  
It breaks her heart to see him like this as she wipes the tears from his eyes; “It was my fault my Lord Mifune is dead,” he whispers, his hands shake as he takes hold of her wrists “You can’t torment yourself like this” she says to him, her voice breaking with sorrow, tears welling in her own eyes; “You have to be strong—be strong only for him.”

#35 - Roses  
He can’t help but catch the scent of roses in her hair when she leans on his shoulder; Usagi can only keep himself composed for so long before burying his face in her black locks. 

#36 - Secret  
“I’ve never liked secrets” Tomoe murmurs to her long-eared friend companion as she casts stones into the river “They keep people and good friends apart.”

#37 - Snakes  
Their blades where drawn at the sight of Lord Hebi slithering through the halls of the Geishu Castle, his cold reptilian eyes on the young panda who cinced his shaky arms around Tomoe’s waist, shuddering at the thought what might would’ve happen if Usagi and Tomoe weren’t there besides him.

#38 - Snow  
The snow suddenly didn’t seem so wintry anymore as Usagi pulled her shuddering form a little closer to keep her warm, their lips barely touching, which inevitably ended up as a smoldering kiss in the frigid darkness.

#39 - Solid  
Her body trembled at the feel of him against her, the solidness of his own essence and sweet warmth diffusing throughout her, compelling her to press her lips onto him, her hands wandering across his body, coaxing soft moans from the ronin.

#40 – Spring  
Usagi looks outrageously silly as he skips about through the snow, chasing Gen around the yard while throwing snowballs at him, and Tomoe can’t help but join her friends in a wild snow romp.

#41 - Stable  
She loved the stableness of the ronin’s slender physique – Tomoe enjoys the feel of his muscles moving when Usagi offers her a piggyback ride to the castle, and she doesn’t mind being seen by castle guards who give them bemused glances as they pass by them.

#42 - Strange  
Usagi is used to be sliced, nicked and cut by blades during duels, it didn’t hurt as much – but he can’t figure out why it’s painful when Tomoe scrapes her fingernails down his back as he pushes himself deep inside her, eliciting sighs and moans out of her parted lips.

#43 - Summer  
Their nightly liaisons were often hot and sweaty, which made heavy blankets an inconvenience for them in the chilly nights.

#44 – Taboo  
Usagi knows that he wasn’t supposed to interfere with her life, he a lowly ronin and her a high-ranking officer, and Tomoe knows of their own taboo but she doesn’t care anymore – she never did. 

#45 – Ugly  
“Please Usagi, don’t” she whispered urgently, seeing his trembling hand reach for his katana as he saw Horikawa coming their way; Tomoe quickly enveloped her arms around him, her voice heavy with fear “I know what he did to me was wrong, but I don’t want this to get anymore uglier than it already is…please, let it go.”

#46 - War  
Seeing Usagi in the midst of battle was a beautiful thing, the way his kantana swings across the enemy, his graceful movements as he leaps, the drop of blood trickling down his forehead, the brutal strength of his kicks and his loud, ear-splitting battle cry tears shivers throughout her body, but her heart beats faster and she wants – needs – to see more of him, fighting for his life.

#47 -Water  
The icy water caresses her fingers as she dips them in the river, flecks of pebbles and wet earth rushing through, washing the blood off her hands – she wants to carried away with these running waters, away from her harsh reality, but Usagi’s voice cuts through her thoughts and carries her away from the rushing streams to treat the cut on her hand. 

#48 – Welcome  
“You’re never a stranger here” she breathes against his lips as they lie in the candlelight together, their hands entwined; his heart melts when Tomoe says “Please come back to me.”

#49 - Winter  
“I’ll be back long before the next winter hits; I promise you” he whispers before catching her lips in a kiss.

#50 - Wood  
Hearing his voice carry through the wind and into the woods, Tomoe prays that their paths would cross again and remain unbroken – but karma could change things, even her prayers.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written yyyears ago around the time when the TMNT 2003 series was popular and I was shipping Tomoe/Usagi like crazy, most likely around 2010. /Looking back, I had fun writing this but I really regret writing the ending like I did and could've gone for something more tragic and less sappy.
> 
> If I ever do this challenge again, most likely I won't be pairing these two anytime again soon.
> 
> Original publication date: May 1st, 2011


End file.
